The Broken Brother
by tHat'N'Clogs
Summary: Yhwach had done more than attempt to take over soul society, he had resorted to taking in the gemischt quincies. Including Yuzu and Karin. Ichigo will tear more than just the skies asunder to protect those he cares about. Time Travel.
1. Chapter 1

It was cloudy, and the rain was falling in both worlds. _**Oi. King. This is a bad idea, if you're gone then what hope will everyo-**_A rumbling snarl echoed from Ichigo's throat, his inner world shaking as another building creaked and groaned ominously. _Tell me, Zangetsu, who do you mean by "everyone?"_ The snarl grew sharper, fiercer, and his ambient Reiatsu had become visible again. "_Everyone" is DEAD!_

His inner world had thunder rumbling, as lightning struck the skyscraper Zangetsu was standing on, leaving a buzzing crackle beneath the hollow, the electricity thrumming through the building's metal structure.

Zangetsu just grimaced as the rain got worse, and the Old Man didn't wanna come out, so Zangetsu sat down, and fantasized about slicing into the _bastards_ that had caused all this. _**Shitty captains can't even do anything… They've known about this guy for a thousand fuckin' YEARS! How did they just-**_**ignore** _**this?**_ The satisfaction of seeing the (imaginary) Yhwach choking on his own blood as the Khyber knife slid out of his gut, another slice to remove his arm, and a third to remove the bastard's head, Zangetsu felt _much_ better.

Unfortunately… Ichigo did not. And would not.

Not with nothing left.

_Zangetsu. Old Man. We're doing this._ The spirits of both blades sighed, the Old Man hopping out of his stomach and focusing all the power in the air around them, namely Ichigo's own, incredibly dense and powerful Reiatsu, into Ichigo himself. A garganta split the air, Ichigo stepping in and willing platforms beneath him. Then a second garganta opened, even as the first was just closing, and Ichigo stepped through a second time, this time, into the Dangai.

The rumbling of the walls was oddly peaceful, considering what he was planning. The rumbling of the walls right after he flared a touch of his Reiatsu was music to his ears as he gave a smile that would look more at home on Kenpachi. His lips quirked in a bitter smile. _Or, would have looked._ _**At the very least, don't forget he died as he wanted, while doing what he **_**lived** _**for.**_ It was cold comfort, but it was better than nothing.

The rumbling finally started getting pretty loud, the Kototsu drawing near. Ichigo took a deep breath, repeating the words etched into his soul. _Abandon your fear, retreat and you will age. hesitate and you will die._ A cold determination entered Ichigo's eyes, the emotions rending his soul to pieces pushed to the side for the moment.

It was time to get them back.

He focused his mind, time seeming to slow even within the Dangai, as he darted to one side of the Kototsu, arm wreathed in so much Reiatsu as to be shrouded in a Getsuga Tenshou itself, as a third Garganta was ripped into the side of the Kototsu.

A screech echoed as the Koryu seemed to writhe, the Reishi all around becoming unstable.

Ichigo just grinned at the reaction, and stepped forward into the garganta. There would be no looking back, there would be no retreat, and there would be _no_ hesitation.

Running through the third garganta was draining his Reiatsu faster than instantly regenerating all four of his limbs as fast as was possible, continuously. _**Don't start that now, focus King.**_

He hummed, deciding to merge a bit further with his Hollow side, both of them feeling what the other felt and understanding. The sudden instinct to protect himself had them merging even furth-A violent _SHRIEKING_ filled his soul, the dissonance throwing the path off as there was a grunt and the shrieking got louder_,_ a shiver working its way through _Ichigo_, one shared in his mirror image.

And they were separate again, because Zangetsu grabbing his head and snarling through the constant shriek worming through Ichigo's soul, one that was from the snarling Hollow, their Bankai beginning to break down.

"Oi! Zangetsu, talk to me, what's wrong? I can barely feel you!" All he got in return was a loud hiss as Zangetsu pointed the Bankai blade at Ichigo, the reflection making himself flinch as he flared his power. Ichigo's eyes widened as the Hollow power began fading from him, being pulled into Zangetsu, even as his Shinigami Reiatsu began filtering into the orange haired man.

_Ichigo! I cannot maintain the path much longer, throw him back and take control of your body before all is lost!_ A low growl erupted from the wild Hollow's throat as he charged, blade held behind him as the arm began to tense and twist, bringing the blade around in a long arc that sliced through the air.

Right as Ichigo countered with his own blade of the hollow in front of him, and sliced and _twisted_ with the old man's blade, a loud cry erupting as Zangetsu writhed. _What happened to Bankai…?_

Ichigo winced at the thundering of his soul, something,,, ripping at itself, almost. He shook it off and got back into the driver's seat, feeling the weight pressing on him and rushing on toward what seemed to be a beacon, calling to him. Ichigo tried to open a Garganta to escape the layers of the Dangai he'd reached, but pulling that much hollow power felt diff-_Zangetsu!_

A growl was the only warning before a lightning fast slice came straight for Ichigo's head, blocked by the cleaver once more, but that was no blade this time. The hastily thrown up cleaver had bit into the whiplike tail, bright red angled like it had a sun drawn on the tip with a white base, the white trailing up and up and up, until he saw the white bone mask with what looked like red tribal markings, what had always looked like tribal markings.

But the real problem was that Ichigo couldn't feel Zangetsu, could only watch and feel vibrations as the hollow in front of him howled and slashed wildly.

The familiar mask of calm made his inner world darken for a moment, all light seemingly being sucked into the two blades in Ichigo's hands. "Getsuga…" The hollow roared and darted for Ichigo, no tactics, no fun of the fight. Just a hollow, wildly running toward destruction. "JUJISHO!"

He didn't wait to see the results, coming back to control his body just in time to wrench open another Garganta, Soul Society in mind. If this worked, great. Perfect. Maybe he could fix something for once.

If not, who cared? It's not like he could do that much worse by being dead. Not with how he failed everyone he promised to protect.

**A/N**

**So. Apparently I can't stick with stories when they get tough very well…. And real life has been a bit too interesting for my tastes, so it's been just a tad difficult to get back into writing AGV or Fate/Monsters, unfortunately (but yes I am working on them). So. Uh. Here's this,,,,,,,, thing. That will totally not go horribly wrong in every conceivable way, trust me I'm a writer I know this stuff.  
Because it's gonna be **_**beautiful**_ **in what carnage there'll be. Hehehehehehehehehe.  
So, see you soon guys, and,,,,, I hope you enjoy seeing what I write, because it's so fun to write, but seeing reviews is genuinely one of the best possible things any writer can see, oh and if you can, check out Reign of Rayne. Amazing author and basically the reason I'm in such a Bleach mood(even though I did have this idea before, and no one has done **_**quite**_ **what I'm planning). Anyways, long A/N but I hope you guys have a good one, later!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo crossed the threshold of the Garganta, relief spilling into his expression, right before the Old Man gave out and faded deep into his inner world, like a rug yanked from underneath him.

This decidedly did not do wonders for Ichigo's control, but he managed to land without crashing. His limbs were shaking and the old man's blade felt almost brittle, as well as his cleaver feeling… well, hollow. And not in a good way.

But Soul Society was whole again, and even with what felt like the smallest amount of Reiatsu he'd had since _Ginjo_, he could feel the afterlife brimming with… life. His eye almost twitched with how ridiculous he sounded, even without any commentary. _I need to stop that, now._

Shaking it off, he sealed off his Shikai and pulled on his Quincy abilities. _Sorry Old Man, but I've gotta do this for now… _he still couldn't feel Zangetsu, but at least the Old Man was still there, if buried beneath the presence of a Hollow deep within. One rampaging within his inner world. Ichigo shook it off for a moment and called to his Quincy abilities, shaping the Reishi everywhere within Soul Society and forming it all into his hands, a familiar blade taking shape, just like they'd practiced.

An old smirk crossed his face as he stared at the fake Shikai he'd known for so long, memories flitting by faster than Yoruichi when she was feeling cheeky.

Ichigo's head snapped up, feeling someone approach him. A captain, one who died the instant _HIS_ attention turned. Ichigo suppressed a snarl at the thought, the memory that shattered Yoruichi for-  
"Who are you, intruder?" A harsh voice barked out, Ichigo's head turning to face her.

Ichigo put on his game face, skin crawling as he put on a mask of fear. "W-wait! Please! I've been stuck in Hueco Mundo for so long, and I killed the Hollow that opened the Garganta here on the way." He looked into her eyes, his voice breaking at the last bit. "Please, I just want to be home again." He shuddered and curled in a little bit, breaths coming slow and shallow.

Soifon stared, bewildered disgust crossing her features. "And what division were you from? How long were you stuck there?" It looked like she was ready to dart off and hand him to Omaeda if he got any sappier.

Ichigo's voice was barely above a whisper, cradling his arms as he hugged himself and tried not to shiver. "I don't know. And… the eighth. I was under Kyoraku-taichou."

She just raised an eyebrow, daring him to change the story he'd spun, for some random inconsistency to pop up. "I'll get him for you. Just stay put and don't do anything." She turned and was gone, and he kept up the act as best he could, letting a bit of Reiatsu flail about madly, panic seeping into it. _And I can explain the Hollow tint as being in Hueco Mundo for too long, at least for now._

With only a moment of notice, Kyoraku was there, looking me up and down, walking around me, and reading my every move with an eerie focus, ready to strike if I made a hostile move. "Kyoraku.. taichou? Why are you so serious?" Ichigo plastered a look of hurt on his face as he curled in a bit more, "Do you remember me?"

The captain smiled thinly, tilting his head with a dangerous look in his eyes as he put up his hands placatingly. "Maa maa, I wouldn't say that… what did you say your name was again?"

"Ichigo, Shiba Ichigo. I left right after Kaien was reported dead, you sent me and a few other squad members into Hueco Mundo when we asked for a quick run to get revenge, and… everyone else made it out. I got knocked out under a dune and only survived because I was face down." He looked down and away, flinching back when Kyoraku walked forward a step.

The captain stopped and put his hands up with a sheepish look this time. "Maa, sorry about that Shiba-san, I think I remember that, but, for some reason I'm having a hard time remembering you, what position were you in the division?"

Ichigo forced a look of sheepishness on his own face, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, ah, I was actually unseated the time of the mission, a brand new recruit really, but now… I have no idea what seat I'd be. Though, I will say, Zangetsu's Shikai really is great, even if he doesn't like to be sealed."

The captain just relaxed and let out a burst of laughter, "Ahh, of all people I know what you mean, Shiba-san. The only one who might know better would be Juuishiro, considering that he has the kids." A bright smile was on the man's face, even as Ichigo could see the gears turning.

Ichigo just smiled fondly and hid a wince. "Ah, so, can I rejoin the division then? Do I have to go back to the academy first? Would you prefer I test myself in combat?" He couldn't hold back the vicious grin at the thought of fighting Ikkaku like this, with next to no Reiatsu left to shield him from every possible hit the lieutenant could give.

The captain just gave a look from under the brim of his hat, the glint of gears turning no longer hidden by an easy smile. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather try the eleventh for a while? Think of it as a way to get used to Shinigami life again, for a bit. Then we'll see if you'd like to come back to the eighth then, hmm? Say, a month or so? Either that, or I could send you to the academy if you'd like. It's your choice, Shiba-san."

The thought of constant combat brought the vicious grin to its peak, right before Ichigo realized that A) issues with Zangetsu would _not_ make that go well, and B) he needed information, and more importantly, control. He reigned in his instincts, calmed himself, and gave his full attention to the captain in front of him, drawing himself up and staring into the other man's eyes, even as Kyoraku cocked an eyebrow. "I'd like to go back to the academy," A cocky grin split the hybrid's face, "gramps."

A smirk and a shake of his head hidden beneath the hat were the only hints before Kyoraku thrust his sword at Ichigo, the flash of steel caught on the cleaver without the cocky smirk diminishing on Ichigo's face. "Of all things, a surprise attack won't catch me off guard after dealing with Hollows for so long."

Kyoraku glanced up and muttered something about little brats before his smirk turned to a chuckle. "Sure, problem child. I'll send you in for testing with a personal note, and we'll see where we go from there, hmm? Do you have a place to stay in the meantime?" A dark look passed over his eyes for a moment, and the captain grimaced. "The Shiba have been ousted and are in hiding now, so you might not want to go looking for them for a few days, considering how tired you must be." _And how much you look like Kaien_ went unsaid.

Ichigo let a genuine pained smile through, imagining Ganju and Kukaku rejoicing that their brother was back, just to find that it was all a lie. "No, I think I'll just find a place in the woods around the Rukongai for a bit. I can get there in maybe 10 minutes with how fast my Shunpo's gotten." The cocky smirk was back, tinged with sadness and Kyoraku frowned and nodded, a glint of understanding in his eyes.

The smirk was back on Kyoraku's face, a light breeze blowing his flowery robe around his shoulders for a moment. "I expect you to give this 'gramps' a good spar one of these days, mm? It gets a bit boring with all the recruits being too afraid to lift their sword at _any_ captain, let alone their own."

The captain set a leisurely pace back to the eighth, the white buildings and walls of Seireitei looming in the distance.

Ichigo hid another wince and went for a quick sprint to search for a dense forest, the deeper into the Rukongai the better.

Even if he'd gone back in time, he didn't expect to be fighting Zangetsu again, not like this.

**A/N  
Ah. Also. So. I didn't mention it but I think I'll be doing much shorter chapters for this story, not least of which because then I can build up a few in case I get swamped with work and college again(that and it doesn't take me a few long days of writing to finish a single chapter if I get behind -/-;).  
Ah, but I hope you enjoyed! And I'll try my damnest to set up a regular schedule with these, though, I can't really promise anything. See ya later!**


	3. Chapter 3

Slash, duck, slice, block, stab, duck, flip into a Bala, absorb the Reishi to reinforce his Hierro, wait for Zangetsu to get up. Despite his Hollow abilities being less effective, they were still the level of a brand new Vasto Lorde at least.

Unfortunately, Zangetsu's were far, _far_ above that level. But he only had access to Cero, Hierro, and Regeneration from the looks of it. And there was no intelligence behind the blows, only raw instinct, untempered even by rage.

_This is no mere hissy fit, Ichigo._ The Old Man just confirmed what he was thinking, eyes darkening as he grit his teeth to block a particularly powerful blow from the Hollow. _He has lost all senses and has pulled as much power as he can from your soul, becoming… this._

Ichigo threw the Hollow off, throwing a concentrated Getsuga to slice through the spine with a snarl. "And how the hell do we deal with this? How do we get Zangetsu back?" The Old Man just shook his head. _I do not know. But the Hollow must, at the very least, be weakened, in order for me to contain him. He is nearing the point at which I can take over, but I fear he will recover strength quickly enough that I will be unable to hold him for long._

Ichigo could feel the Hollow getting ready to strike, seeing his attention turned elsewhere, and pulled the mental lever on the trick he was managing, copies of the fake Shikai raining down on the Hollow from above. "Old Man. Do we have to seal him?" The representation of his Quincy abilities frowned, considering.

Ichigo almost groaned as he felt the Hollow approaching, throwing the cleaver up and using the building as a brace to throw the Hollow away, chasing after before it could use Gravity as an advantage a second time.

_It seems as though that is our only long term option, at least until we can figure out what happened._ _For now though, we must weaken him for me to contain, so you may find sufficient knowledge on such seals._ Ichigo grunted, making sure to coat the Old Man's blade in a Getsuga and carve through Zangetsu's stomach, arms, and legs. If there was one way to deal with regeneration, it was to isolate the torso and force them to regenerate limbs at a ludicrous rate.

_This is gonna be messy._

***********

It took a week, but Kyoraku finally got the paperwork done and back to Ichigo, the hybrid returning to the same spot Soifon had found him once he felt the captain's Reiatsu. The snail's pace of Shunpo he pulled off to keep his cover just about had Ichigo strangling someone, but after almost half an hour he reached the damned spot, avoiding foot traffic by hopping on roofs whenever he could.

The captain looked up, eyes analyzing Ichigo with gears turning faster than they had in the war. "Maa, there's no need to rush for me, Shiba-san. Isn't it better to enjoy the scenery with a nice stroll every so often?"

Ichigo just grinned slightly and rolled his eyes, "You mean isn't it better to stall on doing paperwork, old man."

A lazy swipe of the hand from the captain had Ichigo's eyes flitting to the sword sheath on the man's hip—until the hand waved back and forth with no real effort. "Same thing, really. Speaking of, here are those papers, Shiba-san."

At a glance, Ichigo's eyes widened. It was _all_ in the lazy captain's handwriting, and he glanced up to see Kyoraku, an easy smile and with a full blown laugh once he saw the hybrid's face. "Why so surprised, hmm? I'm not lazy enough that I wouldn't do paperwork for such a bright young face with so much ahead of him." The smallest of pouts was on the captain's face upon saying the last bit, disappearing with another laugh seeing that Ichigo was still struck with silent bewilderment.

_Is it not a well appreciated smile, Ichigo?_ He could _feel_ the Old Man's amusement, and infectious as it was, Ichigo cracked a soft smile of his own.

The school was bigger than he'd thought. WAY bigger. It was practically a full sized college campus and then some.

Not like it would matter too much if he was too fast for anyone to see.

_Holding up alright?_ The wave of amusement was almost enough to make Ichigo smile again. _Yes, considering that you're not pushing to break all barriers I put up this time. You should have the Reiatsu of a third or fourth seat at the moment._ His lips really did twitch this time, remembering all the times he was training in his inner world, handling the single cleaver that even now felt so familiar on his back.

In other words, the sword that had been sealed all this time, wrapped up and locked away.

All the humor put Ichigo in a festive mood, eager for something exciting. _And considering I've been in Hueco Mundo for a while, something even a Vice can have trouble with, I think I should show off a few other skills, no?_ _Be careful, Ichigo. Show off some skills, yes, but do not go overboard with your capabilities. We do not want Mayuri "inviting" you to his division._ A sneer and a sigh to calm himself, and Ichigo was _done_ thinking about that… monstrosity.

That was in the past now, and would not be coming back. _Future, I suppose? Old man, don't you start._ A wave of very mild frustration and a small huff told Ichigo that he'd been not a moment too soon. Blinking, he realized he was there, before the entrance to the building labelled on the map.

Looking around, no one was nearby, so he just peeked his head in and gave everything a once over. _No windows, only door, probably around that corner… Hmm. Annoying place to get out of._ Ichigo's eyes narrowed, wondering who the observers would be, if he would have known them, would have watched-_Ichigo, you must look forward._ A bitter smile appeared. _Thanks, Old man. Seriously._

Drawing himself up, he strode into the room with purpose, seeing the observers sitting at a table around the corner. Stopping in the center of the room, he looked over to them, seeing two in a heated discussion, the third almost asleep, and the other two working on papers side by side.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. _Guess silent steps aren't that great all the time._ He flared his reiatsu, what would normally be just a flicker, now being almost a quarter of what he had.

Two heads turned mixed with anger and surprise in equal measure, one of the heads buried in papers snapped up with a squeak, the one that had fallen asleep jolted awake and almost fell over, and the last guy… just lazily looked up, an eyebrow cocked up. "Is that all, kid?"

The expressions of every other instructor turned to one of incredulousness as Ichigo smirked and flared everything he had (unsealed, of course). The guy just grinned and chuckled something that sounded like 'little upstarts' before waving to calm down. Ichigo's grin dimmed a bit as he reigned it in, pulling in all but the smallest trickle of his Reiatsu before raising his own eyebrow. "So, what am I showing you guys? Is this gonna be a spar? Is there-" 

One of the observers that had been arguing cut him off, face still red. "Young man, this is entirely inappropriate conduct for a mere hopeful student at this prestigious academy!" A scowl to a sigh in a moment had Ichigo calming down from the spike of irritation at his fun being spoiled.

"I have no intention of making friends. I'm here to learn, be a _better_ Shinigami, and to rejoin the divisions. I'm already a Shinigami, so don't 'hopeful student' me, I already have Shikai and the fighting capability of a Vice Captain at least. I was trapped in Hueco Mundo for who the hell knows how long, and," he inclined his head to the fun guy, "I also wish to join this academy to learn and better myself however I can, if you would allow it."

There was silence in the room as the slim, still red faced man pushed up his glasses and huffed with crossed arms, the fun guy just raised an eyebrow with hints of amusement hidden in his features, the small woman next to him organized her papers and looked away, the middle aged woman was eyeing him… a lot, and the formerly sleeping guy simply looked like he wanted to go back to sleep, bored and irritated with all of this.

…Was that a yellow sleeping bag?

The fun guy cleared his throat, schooling his face into a professional look. "We are here today to assess your general capabilities, and we ask that you demonstrate your total Reiatsu, Shunpo, Zanjutsu, Kido, Hakuda, and any outstanding abilities you may possess in order for class placements. We've already felt your Reiatsu, and now it is your choice what to show us. You may also call one of us up as a sparring partner if you would like, in order to show either Zanjutsu or Hakuda. We are all proficient in both arts, and you may choose any of us you like."

The grin came back full force as he gestured to the fun guy again. "I wanna fight you, you seem skilled and _reasonable._"

He just smirked and brushed back his hair a bit before taking an unfamiliar stance. "Slice the winds, Horosha!" The blade changed to become longer, sleeker, and a breath of wind swept over the building. He kept the sword held almost even with his head, straight forward as he himself stood perpendicular to Ichigo. "I'll give the challenger the first move, of course."

Ichigo settled into his stance before sliding a hand up the flat of the blade, smirking and pulling the string back as the guy's eyes widened before the solid arrow flew straight past him.

Ichigo's smirk turned dangerous as he fed a steady stream of Reiatsu to the bow in his hands, the arrows flying directly where Ichigo could see the guy trying to go, forcing him to block with a thin Katana obviously designed for quick, powerful thrusts. He was good at dodging though, light enougn on his feet that it seemed like he was riding the wind itself, flowing from opening to opening through the onslaught of arrows with little difficulty, only concentration in his eyes.

Ichigo grabbed the top and bottom of the bow in his hands, smushing the ends together and compressing them, ending with the familiar cleaver in his hands before releasing a breath and watching his opponent as the guy relentlessly closed in.

A slow (for Ichigo at any rate) shunpo behind, an all in downward slash, and that same flowing step allowing the guy to pivot and bring his sword back to the position it started in, with all the momentum behind it as if it weighed nothing more than a paperweight.

The brief clash ended when Ichigo lost the advantage of momentum, being thrown off as a wind beffeted him, allowing Hiro to close in and pressure while Ichigo was caught in the air.

Making a Reishi platform, he flicked his wrist and released a tiny Getsuga, forcing his opponent to block immediately with how fast it was, allowing for a return to a neutral position. The distance was just too far for another clash, yet too close for the bow. Ichigo settled into a casual stance, grabbing the cloth at the end of the blade and twirling the blade with a grin, the message clear.

The guy took the bait, but his Shunpo was nigh undetectable. Ichigo didn't care.

Whirling around at the last moment, Ichigo gripped the blade at the handle and wrenched his arm for a strong overhead slice with one hand, grabbing for his opponent's arm with the other. A smirk from the guy let Ichigo know he was just curious how a bowman would fare at close range.

A feral grin let the guy know he'd made a mistake as both blades were tossed to the side, Ichigo throwing punches hard enough to make his own bones rattle, reinforcing them with all the Reiatsu he had left. The style of flowing from defense to attack and back had no ground to stand on if the guy had to put his all into every block.

The guy blocked one punched and twisted his upper body, Ichigo's eyes widening as he realized he overcommitted, a hand coming down on his shoulder from above in slow motion. He let instinct take over, rolling forward with his momentum and taking the hit with a grunt before coming back up from the roll and throwing a roundhouse kick, caught in the guy's hand and leaving Ichigo sprawled on the ground, both of them panting.

A breathless laugh echoed out over the room. "I like you, kid. You sure as hell know your way around a fight, and somehow you can detect a shunpo with no trace of reiatsu behind it, thanks to Horosha." A wide smile was looked down at Ichigo as the guy reached a hand down to help the orange haired not-quite-kid up. "Spar with me again some time?"

**I wanted to write this shorter but there wasn't really a good cutoff, so, here ya go I guess. I,,, this is the last of the chapters I had set up before I posted this, so, make of that what you will, considering I work a lot and have college. I can say I'll try to actually stick to updating this one, considering how much I love Bleach despite not knowing the most (aka the opposite of AGV lmao), and,,,, Fate/Monsters is. Going. The way I have it set up makes this very complicated to finish, but I'll see what I can do. I just wanna make it more than 600 words with like 7 POVs, but it's slow going, sorry.  
Anyway, I hope you guys have a good one! And. If you have the time and bothered reading this long A/N, well, please leave me a review and tell me what you've thought, it helps me improve and brightens my day as much (maybe more than) I've brightened yours.  
See ya next time on **_**can this dude actually keep up the motivation to write?**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N  
Okay. Sorry about the formatting issue, I actually have the Old Man's dialogue underlined but the file upload doesn't like that without using Word. So. Yeah. I'm gonna have some **_**fun**_** with this. Sorry about the confusion.**

The lazy grin on Hiro's face was the only positive expression at the table as the observers murmured among themselves, continuous heated debate held entirely in whispers all around. _Ichigo, you must not reveal too much, especially not with the bow. You of all people know how seriously things like this are taken in Soul Society, let alone how it will draw suspicion to everyone who associates with you, such as Rukia._ _Yeah, but this way I don't have to hide my practicing with it and I can build up skill in the damn thing outside of the inner world for once._ The Old Man hummed in acknowledgement. _I understand, but you must not reveal more, at least not for the time being._

A grin crossed Ichigo's face. _Time, huh? I think we've broken past keeping time in check a little while ago Old Man._ Ichigo could feel the flash of amusement that was quickly smoothed over. _Be that as it may, you must still be careful, you of all people know how important information can be._ Ichigo stiffened at the reminder of why he was back, why he barely deserved the chance he had, why he-_Ichigo. You must move forward and never stop._ The blade in his hands trembled, the Old Man halting the breakdown of Reishi in the creation until a deep inhale and exhale was through. _Thanks._

Ichigo's attention snapped back to the table as they looked at him expectantly. "Sorry, what was that?"

The overly formal one scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking ready to give a whole lecture about etiquette before Hiro cleared his throat. "As we just said, we have judged your skill levels and have agreed upon your placements in specific class levels, though one question will determine a few outcomes." His eyes narrowed, staring straight through Ichigo. "Can you seal your blade for us?"

Shifting, Ichigo tilted his head to the side with a scowl, remembering the shit that came with this even when he was a 'hero.' "No. I can't, and I don't see a reason to. Zangetsu is part of my _soul_, not some tool to call on when I need him and then ignore him 90% of the time. And he doesn't like being sealed." The guy got ready for _another_ outburst, the tension in the room rising as Ichigo narrowed his eyes and the cloth on the blade fluttered.

_"Enough._ There will be no more fighting here, not for some dick measuring contest about who's right or wrong." The wind whipping around the room threatened to slice into either of them. "Might doesn't make right, and differing ideologies are fine. But you must _also_ respect tradition in some capacity, whether it's right or wrong. Unless you'd like to start a civil war against all of Soul Society over sealing your blade?" Hiro had his lips drawn, eyeing both of them with contempt. Ichigo grumbled and nodded, the other guy stepping down and smoothing his suit jacket of wrinkles "Good. Now, you'll need to take remedial lessons in Reiatsu control in addition to your classes, but we've placed you in first year Kido, fifth year Hakuda, sixth year Zanjutsu, First year History, and fifth year Hoho. Any objections or questions?"

Ichigo pursed his lips, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "What happened to the Shiba?" Everyone at the table grimaced, looking at one another. Ichigo hardened his heart for the coming news, right before the stuffy guy cleared his throat and started in a low voice, "The Shiba clan was never the same after the death of one of their most prominent members, that of Kaien Shiba, and when Shiba Isshin disappeared last year, they were stripped of their title as a noble clan. Now, there are rumors of a few of them roaming the Rukongai, though these are unconfirmed and frankly, if they wanted to hide then there's no way to find them."

Ichigo bowed his head and stayed quiet, sighing and letting the emotions wash over and through him. "Thank you for informing me. If there's nothing else, I think I'll take my leave now." Hiro shook his head, and Ichigo turned, wishing he had pockets to shove his hands into, and left.

The buildings were cracked and the streets far below were wrecked, naught but cracks and fissures. On the bright side, it wasn't raining. One could still hear the faint rock music blaring from within a building, but it was getting fainter by the minute as the thrill of the fight faded once more.

"Old man, you're great, but that's a terrible idea."

Looking entirely too much like a bird, he deflated and shifted, the cloak still showing patterns unintelligible. "Then what is it you would suggest, Ichigo?"

A scowl was the only response the spirit got, Ichigo turning his head away. "Let's just fight, I always need more practice." _And I'll practice for a thousand years if it means protecting them. All of them._

The spirit almost looked like he was _smirking._ "I believe you are in more of a mood for music over fighting with your Quincy abilities." A piano shimmered into existence a moment later, the Old Man gesturing ahead.

Putting his hand on his chin for a moment Ichigo concentrated, holding out his hand, and produced a harmonica. Placing his hands where it felt _right_, he began to play a song from memory, his uneven clangs slowly becoming less and less prevalent as he got into the rhythm, baring his soul through the music. _"He said 'son can ya play me, a memory… I'm not really sure, how it go~es… but it's sad, and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clo~thes…'"_

When the song was over, his emotions bared and a calm like a still lake flowing over him, Ichigo took a moment to breathe and collect his thoughts, turning to face the spirit who'd brought him so far, and first taught him so many things. "Thanks, Old Man." He shook his head and a small smile appeared, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

***  
**  
A/N Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boi this is gonna be awesome! :D  
Not for Ichigo, but awesome! And I got reviews-**_**VERRRY NICU, CEASA-CHAN!**_**  
*Ahem* But seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed and,,, sorry if I've kinda let go of the tone of the first chapter, I'm gonna do some stuff and things will all go horribly wrong for Ichigo. Because I am a writer, of course. Ah. And, as a side note, I'm writing chapters slightly ahead of time and I'm gonna try to post them every Friday(but no promises) so my responses to what I see will be delayed a bit, sorry about the disconnect there.  
I hope you guys enjoyed, and please review if you did.**


	5. Chapter 5

"The history of Soul Society as we know it began when the Captain Commander Genryusai Yammamoto decided to band together a group…" _Why will you not shut up and how are you capable of listening to yourself drone on like thiiiiiiis._ Ichigo was ready to cut his ears off, but then he'd have to explain how he had them back, or visit Unohana-san about cutting his own ear off…  
So that was a definite no-go.

That same damned boring professor from before, the one that was uptight as all hell, just had to be teaching History. Of course. And since speaking with Zangetsu would leave him without answers to the tests that were 70% of his grade, there was no choice but to listen.

On the bright side, manifesting and shaping his Reiatsu was a nice pastime while he was bored, and behind so many seals it would be hard for people to recognize anything about his power.

On the downside, being branded a criminal and hunted by all of Soul Society sounded pretty tempting right now…

The idea of summoning tiny, blunted daggers above the professor's head crossed his mind, but the guy _did_ seem to really care about his topic and put effort into it.

That and he might get caught, so, perhaps not the best idea.

At least the Hiro was the Zanjutsu teacher, so there was _something_ to look forward to, other than having his own dorm. Apparently the other guy who had the room was a pompous noble with no skill that got kicked out for harassment, so, good news for the noble that he got off easy.

Shaking off cathartic thoughts, he focused back on the lesson. Might as well write down notes so he didn't have to repeat the damn course.

An arm over his eyes, Ichigo laid on the bottom bunk and drank in the sounds from outside the window, the scuffing of dirt with sandals, the swinging of swords against air. _Remind me why I don't just live in the wilderness and train like a madman until this shit is over?_ _Because, Ichigo, you would not grow stronger so easily. You must fight, not practice._ There he was again, with the shifting of the cloak like feathers being ruffled and smoothed back out.

_And why don't I just fight you and Zangetsu merged again? Not like I could get more acquainted with my powers than by fighting them._ The Old Man didn't say anything, giving the mental equivalent of a nudge to the sealed beast contained within his body once more. _He is growing stronger once more, especially when you use your hollow abilities. I cannot fight or seal him alone, though I can direct your power in the sealing and keep your body under control._ A snarl crossed Ichigo's face as he tried to feel Zangetsu, only to feel a ball of rage incarnate from his Zanpakuto.

_And is there a way to fix this?_ _He's part-_ The Old Man cleared his throat, halting Ichigo's descent. _I understand, Ichigo. I too wish for a solution to the Hollow's predicament. But at present, we do not even know why this has happened, or why we were not affected. All we can do, until we find a space that will not be damaged by your Reiatsu, is wait and keep him sealed._ The snarl just about became a growl, Ichigo reaching for his hair and raking his fingers along his scalp. Damn itch.

_You said you can keep my body still, but can you contain the Reiatsu I'll leak everywhere?_ _I will do what I can, and unless someone intrudes upon your dorm, I believe we will go unnoticed._ The snarl became a feral grin at that. _Time to blow off some steam then, let's break him out and reseal his ass._

_Someone is knocking._

"Really not the damn time for this!" Another duck as the Cleaver swiped over his head, the spinning monstrosity curving back around for the return hit. _I wish abusing Hierro didn't fucking make him stronger._

_Ichigo, they're not stopping._

Ichigo could only dodge, the incoherent rock music getting steadily louder as he _finally_ fell into the step of combat. "Tell them to eat shit."

The Old Man ruffled his 'feathers' again, mentally puffing up as he lost some patience. _Tell them yourself._

"And do _you_ wanna come absorb hollow reiatsu?"

_Do you want people asking why you have multiple personalies at differing times?_

Ichigo glared at his inner world, knowing damn well the Old Man was right, and hating that he couldn't get any more enjoyment or peace than when fighting the insane counterpart that couldn't even speak anymore. The Fake Shikai came flying at him again, and in a fit of rage Ichigo let Blut flare up, shattering the imitation of a fake in the imposter's hand. Ichigo just about growled, seething with clenched teeth. "Hold him off before I slice some_thing_ or some_one_ into pieces."

The Old Man had a faint air of dissaproval as they swapped places, but didn't say anything else. Thank fuck for that. The knocking came again, souring Ichigo's mood even more. "Yeah, yeah! I'm comin,' hold on!" Taking a breath, he let the tension flow out, dripping out of everything he could wring it from.

Swinging the door open just before they could knock again, Ichigo stared at whoever the fuck-

"_Oh!_ Hi! Hey, sorry, uhm, I was thinking, er, y-y'know, I was thinking that you seem to know what you're doing, so, uhm, since you do, y'know, know what you're doing and we're classmates, um. I. _IwaswonderingifyoucouldhelpmewithhistoryI'msorryIdon'tmeantobotheryoubutplease!"_ He was bowing, and apparently didn't bother to look at Ichigo's reaction, considering how nervous the kid seemed.

His sandy blond head was, shivering? _Who the hell-_ "_I'm sorry!_ I didn't mean to bother you, Mr. Ichigo, I just, erm, yeah I can just go now sorry-"

Ichigo scowled lightly and threw his hands up placatingly. "Hold on, hold up. I didn't say no, I was just caught a little off guard." The kid looked up and _wow_ he looked young, and he seemed as nervous as Hanataro. He gruffly brought his arm up to scratch his neck, "Ah, now what was your name again?"

**A/N  
I'm gonna reupload the chapters with proper formatting, FFN likes being difficult with underlining ig, I have to manually go in and underline stuff after uploading the doc so. Meh. Good thing these chapters are really short lmao  
Not much to say except sorry about the Monday upload I got busy and forgot, and I may be slightly delayed coming up here soon, English is sucking the writer juices out of me with 2 papers a week, sorry.  
I hope you enjoyed, and please review.  
*Also, sorry about the delay! I wanted to post this yesterday but I've been really busy, and,,,, I can't guarantee the next chapter by next friday, this is the last one I have done as of posting, but I'll try**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N  
So uh. I didn't mean for it to,,,, but uh,,,, chapter got just a **_**touch**_ **dark, so beware of that; starts right after the mention of Yuzu and Karin if you wanna skip it.**

The hallway was quiet for a moment as the kid stared unblinkingly. "Oh, uhm, well, my name is Itto, Hirako Itto." He forced a smile, his lips and legs shaking so badly it looked like saying anything wrong would make the kid shatter.

Ichigo softened his scowl, almost forcing a smile himself. "I can help you out, sure. Not with everything, and I'll only be _helping,_ but I can help."

The smile that lit up the doorway like the sun almost had Ichigo flinching back from how pure and grateful it was, the kid looking ready to burst with excitement. "_ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyooooooouuuuuuu!"_

Ichigo really did flinch back when the kid went for a hug, slipping into a backward shunpo and hitting the wall hard enough to crack the floorboard with his foot drawn back. He forced grit teeth into a bitter grin. "I'm not really one for hugs, sorry kid."

Itto just grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I should have known that, ah, when, how rather- uh, when do you wanna study?" He was blushing and stuttering the whole way through, yeesh.

Ichigo frowned and closed his eyes, thinking of timetables. _What happened to this kid…?_ Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and tried not to scowl too deeply at the k-at Itto. "Ah, if you want, I can study in about an hour. I've kinda gotta meditate for a while longer but if you could be back here then, we can work on it for an hour or two."

The grin was just short of awed and giddy, though thankfully there was no attempt at a hug this time. "Sounds great! I'll be back with my stuff and then we can study, thank you so much this means a lot to me!"

Ichigo's hand twitched, seeing the kid turn around with no fear and no burden on his shoulders. _That should be Yuzu and Karin… _He waited until the kid was gone, shivers running up and down his spine. He closed the door with a measured and careful _click, signaling_ the old man to move over and keep things in check _now._

The synth waves started resounding, the bass shaking the buildings beneath his feet like tiny earthquakes, the grin stretching his face reminiscent of the normally jovially sadistic hollow in front of him.

The manic grin didn't budge an inch as Ichigo opened his mouth and chuckled, the laugh building and warping and evolving into hysterics as the reiatsu started becoming visible once more, black, blue, and the blinding purple both streams were feeding into, the purple growing and growing as the music grew louder and louder, the music finally twisted which to match his mood.

_Will you stay, down on, your knees!? Will you bite, the hand, that fe~eds you!? Will you stay, down on, your knees!?_

A line came to Ichigo then, a chuckle fading out before he gave in to his instincts, a horn growing from one side of his head before being pushed back, melding over his face in a familiar mask, even as his face twisted in bitter disgust. "I done told you once you sonnuvabitch, 'I'm the best that's ever been!'"

The hollow, the incarnation of his instincts, was left hissing, pacing, and while there were features added, the horns were more prominent and his physique appeared larger, the bastard could feel it.

The sadistic grin flashed for a moment before Ichigo dived right in, Hierro and Blut both running at full power.

The cleaver in the hollow's hands bit into Ichigo's stomach, a solid inch before the regeneration kicked in, healing and holding the blade in place as Ichigo cut off one of the bastard's arms with each blade, dropping them and ripping out the cleaver embedded in his gut before returning the favor, twisting and tearing off whatever stumps tried to grow back from the shoulders.

Ichigo and the hollow were against a skyscraper now, the glass cracked and shaking from the force of the music as Ichigo took one hand and reached for the hollow's face, the beast releasing a bloodcurdling scream as Ichigo tore an eye out with a clawed hand, spearing through the other before ripping it out like a takoyaki on a fork.

He got back to work on the stumps that were helplessly flailing, the arms almost half formed on either side. Fuckin idiot didn't even remember his own lesson of focusing on one side.

The disgust only grew as Ichigo's thoughts went down the rabbit hole, a guttural growl rumbling as the music became less and less coherent.

The sounds didn't mean anything.

The screams didn't mean anything.

The sheer terror from the beast beneath him that Ichigo couldn't feel any of through their connection.

The disgust only grew, Ichigo walking over to pick up his blades and eviscerate the pitiful creature-_"Enough!"_

Who would _dare-"I_ would dare, you sniveling child!" Ichigo flinched back at the sheer venom in the tone, the deep baritone that was always comforting, _always_ understanding-

The mask crumbled and Ichigo threw up, laughing as he remembered how Karin went, how easily she-

A tattered coat draped over Ichigo then, a hug, he realized. And he realized he was shaking in the Old Man's arms.

And now, once it was all over, and there was nothing he could do?

His helplessness didn't mean anything.

**A/N  
So. That happened.  
I think you guys can tell, but Ichigo's mentality is,,,, fragile. Ever so **_**slightly**_ **fragile.  
At least he's only in Shikai, and a fake one at that though, right? … and he has about a dozen seals on himself. This is fine.  
(Don't you worry, I'll show off what broken things he can do later.  
He's not just **_**mentally**_ **broken y'know, years of war are as good as training gets for Ichigo…)  
*Evil writer noises*  
See ya later guys, and, sorry about the **_**unholy**_ **upload schedule, and I swear I meant to post this Friday but I forgot. Uh. Perhaps don't expect an update this friday either, end of the quarter for college and all.  
I hope you enjoyed and please review, see ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

A knock at the door sounded far too early. Too quickly. He wasn't-_Ichigo. You must look forward, and never retreat._ A mental smile was the only thing keeping Ichigo from muting his Reiatsu and pretending he fell asleep during meditation. _You're dealing with projection and the hollow by yourself for a while._ The smile turned into the Old Man's equivalent of a smirk, though thankfully there was no reflection off of his glasses lik-

Shaking his head as if to clear it of traitorous thoughts, Ichigo stretched to relieve a bit of stiffness in his legs after being motionless for so long. "Yeah, hold on a sec, I'll be there before long, Itto." _Old Man, is there a good way to make the name sound any less weird?_ _I am sure you will each grow used to referring to Itto as 'kid.' Simply use his name to get his attention, if you must._

Itto was practically vibrating in place when the door opened, a smile brighter than any sun on his face, notebooks gently yet firmly clutched in front of his chest like a pass into heaven. "Hey there Ichigo!" His closed eyes showed hints of something on them, but the kid was blinding in his obvious joy.

Ichigo just raised an eyebrow as he opened the door open wider and waited for the kid, something nagging him that he was missing something. After standing there for a moment and seeing a bit of sweat glimmer on the kid's forehead, Ichigo finally broke the silence. "So, you ready to study?"

The brittle smile broke to reveal another bright one on the kid's face, happily strolling in and looking around before plopping down on the floor, facing the bed. Happily taking the invitation, Ichigo hopped onto the bed and pulled out his notebook and looking on expectantly.

The kid fiddled with his quill for a moment. "Um, Ichigo?" He waited as the kid kept fidgeting, "what's that thing in your hand? It's like a quill but it doesn't need an inkwell? I noticed it a while ago, but, how-"

Ichigo raised a hand and shook his head, a faint smile creeping to his lips at being caught like this. "It's just a little improvement I came up with. Why carry a quill and ink, so easily spilled, while I can just carry this thing and not have to worry? I even added a little clicker to keep it from drying out as quickly, though refills are usually a pain."

Itto had sparkles in his eyes, Ichigo just about guffawed at how ridiculous the kid looked. "Let me guess, 'how can I do that?'" Itto was wide eyed and looked even more awed… somehow. The kid was going to burn his eyes if this kept up.

Resisting the grin at being the one dozens of steps ahead for once, he settled for a neutral scowl. "Now don't go trying to make stuff without asking someone who knows what they're doing, alright? You could get yourself hurt, and I'm not havin' that on my conscience."

The kid wilted a little bit, but bounced back with a question on his lips, clear as day, "And what's it called?"

Another shake of the head left Ichigo wondering what kind of jokes the crazy scientist would pull if he met Itto. "A pen. And before you ask kid, I can make you one, just don't spread around where you got it, alright? I'll have a batch for you later, if you focus on studying today. So, what's givin' some trouble?"

The knock at the door had Ichigo tensing up, Zangetsu's wrappings reaching and retracting to bring the blade to Ichigo's hand before he knew what was happening. Poor Itto had wide eyes that flicked from the door to the edge. Amber eyes lingered, seeing the kid's posture carefully set up to both look small and roll out of the way if push came to shove.

Suppressing a frown with a deep scowl, Ichigo sheathed the blade on his back, toned down his reiatsu and took a breath before opening the door.

The creature outside had a reasonably tall, slender frame, deep black hair, a pleasant face, and a worried expression as she rushed into the room and tackled Itto, very obviously scolding him for not telling her where he was all this time.

Ichigo very carefully kept his face a mask of surprise, blinking dully at the display before clearing his throat after about a minute. "If you don't mind, I think this might be a bit better suited to something you two sort out in private." Flashing a small smile at the two, he watched.

A tensing, a harmless tilt of the head, and a hasty clean up later, they'd headed off to somewhere else, the perfect chance to head back into his inner world.

Ichigo finally gave up the ghost on the mask, letting the scowl that was nearly a snarl to show on his face. "Oi, Old Man, was it just me, or was she a real bad actor?"

Lightly frowning, the spirit considered before speaking. "We should not assume too much before gathering the necessary information, Ichigo. There may be another explanation for this."

The scowl deepened, a gravelly edge showing up in his voice, "And how else do you explain the poor makeup job on the kid? The sweat on em practically took off half the stuff." Noticing the reproachful look from the Old Man, he straightened up and grumbled about having too much to do lately.

A soft smile split Ichigo's face as the old man huffed and reshuffled the tattered coat, because now… doing things meant something again.

**A/N**

…

**So. Uh. Not a planned hiatus, nor do I exactly **_**plan**_ **on missing more,, but I will say don't count on too much more of this in the near future, and yes, I know I'm **_**two months late (holy)**_ **but things have been busy lately and I can't promise much.  
I can mostly guarantee that I won't give up on this though, I'm getting the impression a few of you like the story and that makes me happy, so I mean, why give up on it?**

**Anyway, rambling aside, I think I might start linking a few stories that get me writing in the near future, plug some stories that are thrice as good as mine to cheer someone else up, if you catch my drift. (Yes, I know I just said I'd be done rambling but you guys are stuck with me lmao)**

**Anyway, see ya later, have a good one!**


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